The present invention relates to the field of portable electronic devices in general and more particularly, to electrical connectors to internal electrical circuits of such portable electronic devices, such as mobile communication devices.
Portable electronic devices such as radiotelephones, personal data assistants (PDAs), smartphones, or other mobile device may include auxiliary connectors electrically coupling the portable device to an external accessory device, such as MPEG Audio Layer 3 (“MP3”) players, radios, cameras, headsets or other such devices. The auxiliary connector is typically accessible from the outside of the portable device. For example, a flat spring contact can be used to connect an accessory device to the auxiliary connector for communications with the portable electronic device.
Auxiliary connectors are generally electrically connected to an electrical circuit, such as a printed circuit board, inside the housing of the portable device. This electrical connection is typically a solder or slide on design. Such solder or slide on connections are generally relatively tall, for example, 5 mm in height or larger, and their size may place constraints on the placement of the printed circuit board within the housing of the portable device. The placement of the circuit board may, in turn, limit the ability of these designs to meet the design requirements of smaller portable devices.
Solder and slide on connection designs may also become unreliable due to exposure to shock conditions (e.g., relatively high force impacts over a short time period) and/or normal wear and use (e.g., relatively low force impacts over a longer time period). Typically, solder joints bear some of the force that is impacted onto the auxiliary connector, and a solder joint configuration may not absorb the force of impact sufficiently to avoid damage. These impact forces can cause either fatigue of the solder joint and/or wear on the contact pads to the electrical circuit. In addition, a rugged mechanism may be required to hold the components together and such designs may lead to failure of the mechanical interfaces. The results of such conditions may be catastrophic.